Did the route 6/2/15. Perfect temps as the Valley was 71 and sunny, the route was shady and perfect.
There is a really dangerous loose block about 50 feet below where you enter into the Flying Buttress tunnel. It has an X on it. I was leading and somehow didn't touch it at all, but my partner touched it gently and it came off into his lap. It was super heavy but he managed to prop it back precariously . He didn't trundle becaus we weren't 100% certain nobody was below us. He believes the rock won't move without someone grabbing it but I believe based on how he was placing it that it could fall spontaneously. It would kill someone if it hit them and could hit the belayer below a leader.

We had more gear the first time we went up the route, I think doubles to 3, 1 ea 4 and 5, full set of nuts. We might have had two #4's the first time. There are definitely pitches that will take two 4's. I don't think a #6 is a good idea.

Next time I'll leave the #5. But there were two or three spots where I was really glad to have it the first couple of times up there.

What would be the ideal rack of big cams for this route? Please include any suggestions for a comfortable rack vs. a light rack with just enough big cams to adequately protect the cruxes of the wide sections.

Interesting debate about the crux of the climb. For me I think it was the lie-back move on pitch 1 :)
The truth is that everyone has their own crux depending on their body size and which technique they use on a given section. I thought the climb was awesome and sustained. A little burly but not too bad at all. Almost every pitch has something cool and memorable. Wilson Overhang is great, some slaby face traverse before the chimney before Narrows. That chimney and than narrows is a cruxy spot. The 5.8 hand/fist cracks section before the '5.6' pitch was cool. That 5.6 pitch didn't feel like any 5.6 I have done before! And the pitch after you rap is awesome. Final 5.8 double hand crack before the last pitch was superb too. Again, pretty difficult for a 5.8. My partner and I started the climb after 10pm and topped out with about 2 hours of daylight to get down. Chilled on the summit for a bit and went down. Managed to bushwhack through some jungle in the dark, but got down in reasonable hour. Great route and a must do for all the people who climb in Yosemite.

Is the route usually wet in early May? If so, how much does it add to the challenge? I know so far it's been a very dry year, but I'm planning on climbing this the first week of May and wanted to know what to expect. Any beta would be appreciated...

Jim Donini, you say the crux is the pitch leading
up to the Narrows. I think many would have their own
crux pitch. Pratt thought it was the tight squeeze
pitch above the Wilson Overhang. If you have a thick
chest, yes. He was thin chested like you, but very
broad shouldered. There is a way for a thinner person
to get inside that short section and kind of crawl
through instead of do the off-width. Others have thought
the hardest move is on the slab above the headwall, that
single step. If you were Layton Kor, the Narrows were
the hardest part. And some think the pitch above the
Narrows has the hardest move. Oh well. To each his own.
I did the route with Pratt, and we were in good shape, and
so we did it quickly, and it would be difficult to say
what the hardest pitch is. It could possibly be the
dihedral leading up to the Narrows. We called that the
Lower Narrows. I felt good on that stuff, maybe because
I like jams... A friend later told me he found a 5.7 variation
around the Narrows, where you simply stem out into that
exposure and discover it's a cake walk up from there. One
of the best climbs on the planet.

I don't think we felt anything was 5.10, but there are
maybe six spots that are 5.9.

Totally awesome, quintissential Yosemite. Don't let the 10- rating fool you, this climb has a high CE (caloric expenditure) quotient. The pitch leading to the Narrows is the crux, the Wilson Overhang is quite moderate if you stem and use your feet.

You can't claim to be a Valley climber unless you tick this one. The NE Buttress of Higher is a good intro.

For any would-be S-S suitors who are considering going outside at the Narrows, do not be deterred by the previous post's comments about aiding a few moves there. It goes totally free at only 5.9 or maybe 10a, there are good holds and it is a lot of fun. The short bit of squeeze/OW afterward (sort of like the butt cheeks of the tunnel that Narrows climbers are going up) is not too bad either.

After years of wishing to climb the Steck-Salathe but not trying it because of the fear about the infamous Narrows, I changed my mind thanks to the commentary of David Wilson, who said he went outside on that pitch and it was not that bad. So, last friday,6 of july, I went on that route with my wife Gara. We really loved the climb. We began at 8 in the morning, and topped at 5, doing the whole climb in the shade except for the last pitch. Approach: The supertopo description is very good, except may be for the begining: "hike up the trail about 0.5 mile to a creek crossing", I think i'ts more about 0.8 mile, because it took us 20 minutes from the car to the creek crossing, at a good pace. Beside this, the description is accurate and the path is pretty well traced. It took us 1 hour exact from the car to the base of the climb.The climb: The supertopo is very accurate. We link pitches 1&2,4&5,and the last two.In the 5th pitch of supertopo, I skipped the 5.9 squeeze just placing one piece high, went right on tension traverse and did the 5.8 variation on the right (easier). The hardest pitch for me was the pitch just before the narrows. It's a short pitch rated 5.10b "strenous flare", it is a precise description. We did the Narrows Outside. It is not really that bad. I placed a nº4 cam on the roof, and went outside. There are two fixed pins at the beginning, after that I placed a red alien, aiding on these 3 pieces. After that, I did some free moves and clipped two old bolts (there is three, but the third one does not have hanger). After clipping the second,I went inside the chimney (at that point is reasonabily wide), do some squeeze moves, and went outside again. There is another fixed pin, outside, and after that I placed a good green camalot, to protect some free moves to gain the belay ledge. -the Rack :We took two sets of aliens(green, yellow, red), and two sets of camalot 0,75 to 3, one nº4, one set of nuts,and 10 quickdraws. Maybe next time I will not carry the second nº3, neither the second set of aliens. We backcleaned the nº4 in some places. We also carried a trail line, and a small pack, for carrying water and shoes. We also brought a headlamp for each, but never used.The descent: This is definetly the downside of this route. After relaxing on the amazing summit, we did this looong descent. Again, the supertopo description is very good. Anyway, it's a pretty evident descent, except just for the begginning, if ou do it in the night. It takes us 2 hours 45 minutes from the summit to the car, and I don't think we were lost or specially slow.The resume: Excellent climbing,with alpine flavour, in general easy to protect, but with some mandatory wide cracks. Unpleasant descent.

We used a static 8mm tag line to bring up the small pack. This worked well, even in the Narrows - we connected pack, gear, helmets in line (think train of gear) and leader hauled up about 1/2 way up, then tied off baggage then hauled again at belay. Due to steepness, not having water and shoes on the back of the second reduces strain. Would not hike to top just to stash shoes and water, but instead drag a tag line and pack. Make sure your pack is small, light, and durable.

There are no bear boxes at Sentinel parking, stash yer food at El Cap lockers.

Tape up for this one - the cracks get real gritty.

This route feels longer and is certainly more physical than the DNB.

Also, Narrows are not as narrow as the Safety Valve on the Arrow Chimney (ie slipping downward slightly did not compress my sternum). Someone is bound to get stuck some day, but it probably won't be you.

Climbed on June21st. The two old hangerless bolts on pitch before the Narrows recently replaced by new good shiny bolts. Seems that those bots were requested 15 years ago by FA Allen Steck..
I found old trip report written by Bruce Bindner( aka Brutus) in 1994 "Steck-Salathe 44th Anniv. Trip Report"
with some notes from Allen Steck
"Pitch 11. First pitch in the great chimney ending at Narrows. Bolt
hangers have been chopped (who on earth would do this and why?) so the
pitch is quite run-out with poor pro. Almost seems 5.9 to me, but I've
always been rather poor in chimneys. These bolts should be replaced for
sure."http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/yosemite/sentinel2.html

So now no need to bring rivet hangers for this route. The trail down from summit become absolutely clear with abundance of ducks , the route itself is better and more pleasant as more you climb it

Steck-Salathe’ and strategy – Recently I suggested to some Canadian friends that the best strategy for someone unfamiliar with the Sentinel descent, is to climb to the summit of the Sentinel a day or two before attempting the Steck-Salathe’ to stash descent shoes, water, food, and headlamps. That way, less needs to be dragged up the chimneys, and the climbers have already done the descent and are familiar with it. They reported fantastic results doing it this way, even when descending in the dark, and wouldn’t think of doing it any other way. Recommend adding this to your “Strategy” section for SS.

Yep, great TR there, takes me right back. The length, aura, setting, and many kinds of burly but technically totally doable climbing on this route are just great. Yes, some of the rock could be a bit better, but at least there aren't as many rockfalls as there are recently in the Cathedral area. But with all the TRs and posts on the Steck-Salathe, can we really be the only party who did the outside version at the Narrows and found it a fantastic little piece of climbing?? Very exciting spot at the lip of that enormous overhang, yet it's only 5.9 if you find the key hold quickly enough (maybe 10a for the exposure and mediocre pro). Go for it, somebody!

Lastly, and this is really an ASCA issue, but Steck-Salathe really needs the two hangarless bolts replaced. When I did it, the first one was bent down terribly, making it VERY unsafe, and basically a death fall if you fell near the second bolt. The FA guys had real bolts on there, OR they could be replaced with new bolts with no hangars.

So what sort of day do you have when the SS pulls your number [since you asked…]

You get dragged out of bed in the dark of the night (but you do get two large cups of very strong coffee). Then comes a forced march up to the base of NEB (breakfast, if you still have an appetite).

Climb 7 pitches of the NEB (but mixing in some of the wide bits here and there). Dance up a 5.9 Toulumne slab pitch (usual semi-protected/semi-runnout) and then grunt up Entrance Exam at gun point (but you get to skip the hard, chockstone exit). Next, comes the heaven-on-earth reprise: kickback, eat a sandwich, and enjoy a great view of the falls as your partner inches up the squeeze chimney.

[Heaven is short lived as you] then, have to climb Selaginella mixing in the remaining parts of the NEB. Finally, the SS tell you with a smirk, you are welcome to beer and pizza, as they shove you down a less-well-trod North Dome Gully. Since they know only too well, that unless you can keep time with the hard ones of yore, you are going to be too late for pizza and too tired and dehydrated for beer.

But it is a pleasing thought as you sit on the top of Sentinal and watch the shadows grow.

Making upward progress on the Steck Salathe went much better than I was expecting.

Getting into the narrows was hard. However, you can push a cam up for a few feet for TR protection and/or yard on it for the A1 variation to get your feet established in the squeeze (consider having the leader girth hitch a couple of slings onto the cam to give the second the same option). The narrows wasn’t the can’t-turn-my-head, claustrophobic, I-can’t-move-upward, and try-to-find-the-widest-spot route finding, that I had feared. The rock is wavy inside and progress is faster and easier than most 5.9 Yosemite wide cracks I’ve been on. The narrows is also a short pitch, depending on where you exit the squeeze.

The crux of the Wilson overhang is only a couple of body lengths and protects well. I didn’t find it any harder than the 5.9 spots on the Northeast Buttress.

The only shutdown pitch is the 5.9 flaring squeeze right before the narrows. This was about as slow and as tiring as climbing Entrance Exam. I think EE is a great candidate for checking if you are up to the crux of the SS (and the EE is even right side in).

All the other wide sections are easier (p. 13, big chimney w/ chockstones) and/or short (like the Wilson overhang). However, they are scattered throughout the climb. If you have to drop a pack and rearrange the gear/stuff on your harness, the time can add up (it can take more time than the wide section itself). It also reduces the simul-climbing possibilities. My partner and I have simuled the East Buttress of Middle in under two hours. There aren’t any sections of the SS I would consider simul-climbing. (BTW, if the rope gun is hogging the “hard” chimney leads, p. 13 is a great consolation prize for the weaker climber.)

The rest is just moderate, but sustained climbing with a moderately long approach and an even longer descent.

On the very last pitch, at the top of the ramp, instead of making the obvious choice to go back right into the left facing corner, traverse out a ledge to the left into a right facing corner. A little bit of rope drag, but the climbing is still 5.6 and the exposure at the very top of the Sentinal is awesome.

I'd about agree with Climbingbuzz. I linked what he did and also stretched out a few other pitches. Some extra runners would help if you want to do this--I had a lot of drag.

My rack was double cams from blue Alien. The three biggest pieces were a 3.5 Friend, a 3 Camalot, and a new style 4 Camalot. The 4 was big enough to protect important spots like the flared chimney before the narrows and the entrance move into the narrows. If you want more big pieces, consider two 4 Camalot sized pieces before considering anything bigger.

I placed just a few stoppers in what would be the 1-4 range of most sets. Remember the hangerless bolts.

Just wondering how the wide stuff on Steck Salathe compares in terms of speed/protection/and overall burliness with leading some of the following wide stuff. Just trying to guage how 'old school' the 5.9 stuff is on the Sentinel, and if I'm cut out for it.

Ahab
top of moby dick center
Moby Dick Left (apparently some huge chockstone is now gone - any info on this? 'Leading' this climb this weekend almost made me quit climbing - I got spooked on the 'protection'.)
Sacherer Cracker
Free press
Midterm
3rd pitch of Reed's Direct
top of 2nd pitch of Reed's direct
Copper penny
Epinephrine (at red rocks)

Any beta on training at home (pushups and situps on shards of glass)? Any recommendations for some other wide stuff to train on?

This is a CLASSIC line and one of my favorite routes. An amazing adventure. I first climbed this route in April 2003 and enjoyed it for my second time last May. I look forward to doing it again.

I linked P1 and P2; P4 and P5 (Wilson overhang and 5.9 squeeze -worked great except communication was difficult); and P14 and P15 (pitch with mantle and 5.9 steep cracks pitch to big pine tree).

The crux pitch for me was the one before the narrows. Bring a couple nuts to put on the two hangerless bolts.

A big question is what gear to bring. I can't answer it because it depends on your abilities. For big stuff I brought a #3, #3.5 and #4 camelot and was comfortable. I think next time I'm leaving the #3.5 in the car.

If you normally complete non-wide Yosemite 5.9 pitches in 30min and you're not very proficient with wide stuff, you might want to assume an extra 10-20min per pitch for this route.

This probably goes without saying, but I'd wear pants. It makes the wide stuff so much easier. I didn't the first time and was bummed.

I would recommend not doing the descent in the dark, especially in the early Spring when the top of the descent gully can be full of snow. This snow also results in wet rock lower down that is dicey to negotiate (this was the case in late April 2003). The snow and wet rock make a nightime descent a nightmare (7 hours, but we were really whipped). During the day and free of snow/water the descent is more difficult than the Middle Cathedral descent, but not horrible. This year in late May the descent was dry and it took us 2:20 from the top of the Sentinel to the car.

We climbed this route in 15 hours on May 30 and bivy at the top. We was able to link only pitches 1&2.
Harderst pitch for me was 5.9OW/squiz, next after Wilson Overhang. I followed it and not figured out how to climb it. This route is very phisically demanding , more than I expected.

I do not see a problem. The narrows are not that narrow they are closer to a foot wide. I can't imagine anybody who can get to the narrows actually having difficulty fitting through. Worst case there is an old manky bolt
ladder out at the lip.

My question in concerning the Steck Salthe route. I am concerned about the narrows. I am a confident 5.10 lead and enjoy the wide stuff. I am not a typical climbers build however. I am about 195lb at 5.9. I am not fat. I was an olympic wrestler before I become a climber so I am qiute muscular. Will I be able to pass through the narrows, and if not can I get around her with no harder than 11a?

I had the privi to climb this route this summer. I am fairly experienced with multi pitch climbing, and found this route to be CLASSIC! Way more adventurous than other Valley free climbs. Kind of like turning Vegas' epinephrine upside down with the chimneys at the top. Our Reid topo marked the "wilson overhang" at 10b, and i found this grade to overrated, the narrows was much spicier (we didn't tunnel)
We didn't pitch this route out, but if you did I would guess there aren't a lot of fixed anchors (EXCEPT TO BAIL FROM TOP OF TOWER) and it might take awhile to climb. Experienced climbs could zip this route in < 8hrs onsight, no probs. I would recommend (AND Do) this climb to anyone, the first ascent was truly proud, and it is nice to find good lines with few bolts.

I was just commenting about the listed 6-8 hours to climb the route as average. I think this is quite misleading. This fall while in the valley, I talked to two seperate parties, one a group of competent Scots, and the other a pair of Britain's finest sposered athlete's, who were both benighted on this route. I was strongly encouraged by both parties to climb the route, accompanied by giggles and the promise of much free beer if I could be back in camp early enough to drink it. Needless to say I took up the challenge, and with my buddy Bill, who had already climbed the route before, managed the ascent in approx 10 hours, with enough time to do the ascent in the light. We managed to climb it in 12 pitches by linking as much as we could and belaying on natural anchors. I suppose my whole point is that while valley rats might be able to run up the route in 6-8 hours, I don't think this is a reasonable average time, by talking to people in Camp 4 and reading reports on the net, combined with firsthand experience. Just thought it was helpful info.

Bruce Bindner
PS. regarding anchors on the route, (I don't recall
if I mentioned this earlier) in 19

Advanced climber

Roca Rojo

Jul 25, 2001 - 09:27pm

In 1995 I re-bolted belay anchors from the Narrows to the top, installed the chain rap anchor at Flying Buttress and the bolted belay at the bottom of the raps after discussing the project with Steck. Natural pro, slings and existing anchors were felt to be sufficient on the lower section of the route. All the new bolt placements are included in my topo.

All new belay bolts were 3/8" x 3.5" deep. Most were
also sealed with glue.

"5.9 testpiece" is an interesting contradiction, but one that describes the Steck. If you're feeling fit, it will feel like 5.9...The route is an amazing odyssey through both history and an unrelenting repotoire of crack climbing.

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